Ultimate Power Rangers: Future Present
by Ryuranger
Summary: The Power Rangers find themselves stuck in an apocalyptic future after a botched battle with the demon Dormammu. Then, Tommy and Adam infiltrate a ninja cult known as the Hand to stop the release of an evil trio called the Three Kenma. (Takes place after Year Three of my Ultimate Power Rangers series but can be read as a standalone).


_**Author's note: **__The following takes place before Year Four of my Ultimate Power Rangers series. _

* * *

**PART ONE: FUTURE PRESENT**

"Chakra ignite!" the six rangers shouted as they armed their wrist bracers. "Aura Power!"

They connected their bracers in flashes of multi-colored light. Strands of energy wrapped around them as their armor formed around their bodies. The light of their transformation illuminated the dark pit below.

Within the pit, the Black Tarantula stood in the center of a six-pointed star. The villain, covered in black leather, extended his hands towards the air as dark energy swirled around him. The supernatural crime lord was summoning energies from the lost Gorma Empire. At least, that's what the villain mistakenly thought. The man had no idea he was being tricked by a demon trying to enter the mortal plane.

Strands of blue energy entered the villain's body as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Let's take care of business, guys," Dragon Ranger said as he armed his twin swords. The six Rangers leapt towards the pit.

Strands of blue energy exploded against their armor with a storm of sparks as the Rangers arced downward. The team did not falter, despite the scorching blasts.

Dragon Ranger slammed a flying sidekick against the villain's chest. The Black Tarantula was forced a few steps back as supernatural energy continued to circle around him.

While the villain was distracted, Tenma Ranger charged forward with his nunchuku twirling. He bashed the weapons against the Black Tarantula, clubbing the villain against the body and head. He followed with a tornado kick, slamming his heel against the villain's temple.

Black Tarantula took the Ranger by surprise with a massive display of strength. The villain grabbed Tenma Ranger by the throat and leaned forward, bashing his head against the Ranger's faceplate repeatedly. The villain pulled Tenma Ranger off his feet and tossed him through the air. Tenma Ranger went crashing against Kirin and Phoenix Rangers.

Kiba Ranger leapt forward, swinging his tiger saber towards the villain's head. His blade energized with blazing white energy and slashed through the villain. The blade cut through the man's flesh and bone. The resulting explosion blasted the six Rangers off their feet.

The light and fire slowly cleared as smoke whipped across the night air. Tenma Ranger rubbed his throat as he and the others rose to their feet.

"Is that it…not that I'm complaining, but that was so easy," he said.

Dragon Ranger shook his head. "No…something's not right. Zordon warned us that this ceremony could destroy the whole planet. There has to be more to it."

Kiba Ranger slung his saber over his shoulder. "Well it looks like we took care of it, big brother."

Suddenly, a column of fire erupted from the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the Rangers flying off their feet.

The flame column started spinning. A being several meters tall appeared within the flame. His body was dressed in dark purple, and he wore a dark crimson robe. The being had four different arms, and his head was made of pure fire.

"Zordon!" Dragon Ranger yelled into his communicator. He could barely hear himself over the roar of the inferno. "What is this thing?"

"His name is Dormammu," Zordon answered. "A creature of psionic fire from the underworld."

"Great," Dragon Ranger mumbled beneath his breath. He turned and shouted battle plans to his team. "Rocky, Kimberly…use your powers and try to smother his flame! Adam, Teddy, and Billy, hit him with long range attacks when he's weakened!"

Tenma Ranger armed his Thunder Staff and twirled the weapon as it gathered gravimetric energy.

"Iron Rock Crusher!" he shouted, slamming his staff against the ground. The strike produced an energy shockwave that moved dirt and rock towards the demon.

Phoenix Ranger extended her hand. "Cyclone!"

A pink energy cyclone gathered the dirt, rock, and debris from Tenma Ranger's attack. The debris plowed against Dormammu and tried to smother the demon's flame. The creature retaliated with a massive inferno blast that exploded against each Ranger with burst of sparks and fire.

"Rangers," Zordon's voice came through their communicators. "Retreat to the Command Chamber. This demon has powers that-"

The signal cut out as Dormammu fired an optic blast that exploded against the Rangers' chests and sent them crashing backward.

Kirin Ranger rose to his knees and gathered temporal energy between his hands.

"Time Strike!" he shouted as he hurled a sphere of yellow energy.

Dormammu extended his hand and fired a blast of psionic energy that exploded against the temporal sphere. The temporal blast imploded on itself, creating a shockwave that knocked the Rangers backward. Their minds slipped into darkness.

* * *

Tommy pulled himself to his feet and shook his head to clear the dizziness. "Man…what was that?"

Tommy moved over and helped Kimberly to her feet as the other rangers rose as well. The pit around them was covered with ash. Dormammu was nowhere in sight.

Billy activated his communicator, but no one answered. He couldn't initiate teleportation either. "Something is wrong…"

The five teens climbed from the pit. They should have seen the city skyline in the far off distance, just behind a wall of mountains and grassy hills. Instead, they saw only a vast plane of ash, stretched out to the horizon.

A spotlight suddenly shined down on the rangers from above. They looked up to see some kind of hover craft floating above the surface. Six figures leapt from the small craft and landed on the ashy ground below.

The lead man, with broad shoulders and short black hair, stepped forward and pointed at the rangers. "We're sending you back to Hell where you came from!"

Tommy wrinkled his brow. "What the-"

The six strangers pulled bucklers from behind their backs, extended the devices forward, and shouted: "Dino Buckler!"

Energy shimmered around the six strangers as they morphed into Ranger forms. The original six Ranger forms.

"Tyranno Ranger, Red!"

"Mammoth Ranger, Black!"

"Tricera Ranger, Blue!"

"Tiger Ranger, Yellow!"

"Ptera Ranger, Pink!"

"Dragon Ranger, Green!"

"Battle Task Force…" they shouted in unison. "Power Rangers!"

Teddy opened his eyes wide with horror. "You have to be fucking kidding me!"

"Watch your mouth," Tommy said as the Dino Rangers pounced forward. He readied his Aura braces while rolling for cover with the rest of his team. "It's morphing time!"

"Chakra ignite!" Tommy and his team shouted as they morphed into their Ranger forms.

Tyranno Ranger somersaulted through the air while chopping his Power Sword towards Dragon Ranger's head. Dragon Ranger drew his Star Cutter and blocked the blow while pushing forward against his opponent. "Who are you and what's going on?"

Tyranno Ranger shifted his sword and continued to push against Dragon Ranger's blade. "I was about to ask you the same thing, demon!"

Tyranno Ranger knocked the blade away and slashed his sword across Dragon Ranger's chest with a horizontal blow.

Green-Dragon Ranger hopped forward while swinging his dagger towards Kiba Ranger's head. Kiba Ranger parried the blow and snapped a jump kick towards Green-Dragon Ranger's chest. Green-Dragon Ranger blocked the blow and roundhouse kicked Kiba Ranger across the helmet.

Ptera Ranger leapt through the air and snapped a pair of arrows with her bow. Phoenix Ranger armed her Star Blades and used the ring weapons to deflect the arrows.

Tricera Ranger ran forward, swinging his lance into a fighting position. Tenma Ranger armed his Thunder staff and stepped back into a defensive stance. Tricera Ranger swung his lance towards Tenma Ranger's head. Tenma Ranger held his staff up horizontally to block the blow, bashed Tricera Ranger with the staff's right end, then left end, and then tornado kicked the other Blue Ranger across the head.

Tiger Ranger leapt through the air and hurled her daggers at Kirin Ranger. Kirin Ranger used his staff to deflect the blades and batted the other Yellow Ranger from the air.

Dragon Ranger drew his twin swords as Tyranno Ranger moved in for another attack, chopping his Power Sword. Dragon Ranger used his left blade to block the blow, his right saber to knock the sword away, and slashed both blades across Tyranno Ranger's chest, sparking against the other Red Ranger's armor.

Tyranno Ranger drew his Blade Blaster and hopped forward while swinging the blade towards Dragon Ranger's helmet. Dragon Ranger dropped his sword and grabbed Tyranno Ranger's wrist, twisting and disarming him, and sidekicked the Red Ranger in the chest. Dragon Ranger spinning heel kicked Tyranno Ranger across the helmet.

Tyranno Ranger fell to the ground as his armor shimmered and deactivated. Tommy powered down his armor too. "Now that you've gotten that aggression out of your system…I'd like to know what's going on."

* * *

The rangers stood alongside the crater, shocked at the news they'd learned from the six strangers.

Rocky shook his head in disbelief. "How can this be 2203? That's 200 years into the future!"

The blue dino ranger nodded. "If you are who you say you are, that's when you went missing."

Tommy narrowed his eyes. "Start from the beginning."

The red dino ranger nodded. "Dormammu resurfaced 200 years ago and defeated the Power Rangers. Nothing could stop him. He took over Angel Grove, basically in a single night. The Ninja Rangers fought against him…they bought some time for the city to be evacuated, but they couldn't stop Dormammu. They died trying.

"The Galaxy Rangers launched an offensive against Dormammu, but he was too powerful by then. He was tied into the planet's magick. He slaughtered the Galaxy Rangers.

"Zordon gathered a new team of Rangers and revived the Power Coins. They slowed Dormammu down, but couldn't stop him from spreading across the planet. No one thought things could get worse. But they did.

"The Machine Empire came. Dormammu saw them as a threat and created a team of Demon Rangers. The Demon and Power Rangers fought together against the Machines. The war lasted for a decade. The Command Chamber was destroyed. Zordon was killed. The United States launched a last-ditch nuclear strike. Not only did the strike fail to stop the Machines, it wiped out the entire North American continent. Where we're standing right now.

"Sauron sent more forces to Earth after the Machines fell. They destroyed Dormammu. The Human Resistance has been fighting against Sauron ever since."

Tommy looked to Adam, asking a silent question. Adam shook his head. His power of light gave him power over illusion. He could tell their surroundings were real. It was no trick.

Tommy looked to Billy. "Any idea how this happened, Billy?"

Billy wrinkled his brow with thought. "My time strike attack likely had something to do with it…"

Rocky raised an eyebrow. "You blasted us 200 years into the future?"

Billy shook his head. "No. The time strike attack is essentially a pulse of chronoton particles that disrupts its target through a temporal shift. The shift freezes its target in and out of time on various wavelengths, distorting the target to either disorient or destroy it."

"What are you saying?" Tommy asked.

Billy sighed. "I think we were frozen in time. For 200 years. This isn't the future. This is our present."

Kimberly's eyes opened wide. "That's not possible."

"It is," Billy said simply.

"Then we'll go back," Tommy said. "Back in time and change this…this," he said, holding his hands out in frustration at the wasteland around him.

"Even if we could," Billy said. "I'm not sure what we could do. Time travel, theoretically, poses certain difficulties. For example, if we go back and free ourselves from the time freeze, we wouldn't be frozen 200 years, and wouldn't go back in time to free ourselves, so we really would never be freed."

"What if we stop Dormammu before we get frozen in time?" Tommy asked. "Or is that the same problem?"

Billy shrugged. "Similar problem, yes. I don't think it's wise for us to go back with younger versions of ourselves."

"But we have to," Adam said. "Present or not, the world isn't supposed to be like this."

"Billy," Tommy said firmly. "We have to go back and stop this from happening…can you do it?"

Billy sighed and shook his head. "I don't know…but we can give it a try."

The red dino ranger grabbed Tommy by the arm. "Let us come with you."

"Red…" the yellow dino ranger said cautiously. "We don't know if they're telling the truth."

He nodded. "I do know. I believe them…which means when they go back, when they fix time, we won't be here anymore. I don't want to just vanish into thin air. If I'm going down, I want to go down with a fight."

Rocky shrugged. "We could use the back up. Dormammu nearly fried us."

Tommy nodded. "Agreed. Let's get going…"

Explosions suddenly sparked around the group as they dove and rolled for cover. A group of gray-armored soldiers appeared, each holding crescent-shaped blades.

"Quantrons!" the red dino ranger shouted as the 12 rangers rose to their feet and snapped into fighting stances.

"It's morphing time, guys," Tommy said.

The Dino team extended their morphers. "Dino buckler!" they shouted as they transformed into their armor.

"Aura Power!" Tommy and the others shouted as they connected their bracers and morphed into their armor.

The Dino team charged forward and slashed against the Quantrons with their Blade Blasters, each strike was executed with precision and power. They had clearly fought these Quantrons countless times before. They fought quietly. No jokes. No banter. They were lethal, born into a world already damned.

"Billy," Dragon Ranger said.

Kirin Ranger nodded. "I'll need you guys to lend me your energy…"

The Power Rangers placed their fists against their palms, in front of their chests, and closed their eyes beneath their helmets. Kirin Ranger called on their power and wove it into his own.

"Heaven Time Star!" Kirin Ranger shouted, fearful that the energy would tear him and his friends to shreds. The Kirin eyes on his helmet flashed. A yellow shockwave exploded across the landscape, then imploded on itself, sucking the Power Rangers and Dino Rangers inside.

* * *

Tenma Ranger One armed his Thunder Staff and twirled the weapon as it gathered gravimetric energy.

"Iron Rock Crusher!" he shouted, slamming his staff against the ground. The strike produced an energy shockwave that moved dirt and rock towards the demon.

Phoenix Ranger One extended her hand. "Cyclone!"

A pink energy cyclone gathered the dirt, rock, and debris from Tenma Ranger's attack. The debris plowed against Dormammu and tried to smother the demon's flame. The creature retaliated with a massive inferno blast that exploded against the Rangers with bursts of sparks and fire.

"Rangers," Zordon's voice came through their communicators. "Retreat to the Command Chamber. This demon has powers that-"

The signal cut out as Dormammu fired an optic blast that exploded against the Rangers' chests and sent them crashing backward.

Kirin Ranger One rose to his knees and gathered temporal energy between his hands.

"That's a bad idea!" a voice suddenly shouted. Tyranno Ranger swung his Power Sword, slashing Kirin Ranger One across the chest.

The Dino Rangers had arrived, with a second team of Power Rangers.

"To make a long story short," Dragon Ranger Two said as he moved near his counterpart. "We're from 200 years in the future. We have to stop Dormammu. Now."

"And for the love of god," Tenma Ranger Two said, "no more time powers."

Dormammu howled, a sound that pierced the Rangers' brains like ice picks.

Dragon Ranger Two aimed his Dragon Swords at the demon. "Lion Rangers, use your light attacks along with Ptera Ranger's Arrow Shockwave. Phoenix and Tenma Rangers, throw another debris cyclone at him, lay it on thick. Everyone else move in and hit him hard."

Lion Ranger One extended his fists. "Shining Fury!"

Lion Ranger Two swung his sword, gathering pale green energy. "Lightning Bolt Strike!"

The two light attacks exploded against Dormammu with a blinding wave of energy. Ptera Ranger moved in. "Arrow Shockwave!"

An energized arrow shot through the light and exploded against Dormammu with a tunneling vortex of power.

"Iron Rock Crusher!" Tenma Ranger One shouted, slamming his staff against the ground. The strike produced an energy shockwave that moved dirt and rock towards the demon.

"Gravity Well!" Tenma Ranger Two shouted, firing a cyclone of gravimetric energy that joined with hic counterpart's attack.

Phoenix Ranger One extended her hand. "Cyclone!"

"Tempest Wind!" Phoenix Ranger Two shouted.

A pink energy cyclone gathered the dirt, rock, and debris from Tenma Rangers' attacks. The debris plowed against Dormammu and tried to smother the demon's flame. Dragon Ranger One jumped into the thick of the attack and swung a fiery fist towards the demon. "Burn Knuckle!"

His punch smashed against the demon as Dragon Ranger Two and Tyranno Ranger charged side by side. Dragon Ranger Two armed his Thunder Sword and Star Cutter, and Tyranno Ranger armed his Tyranno Sword.

"Power Blade!" Tyranno Ranger swung his sword and fired a blade of fiery energy that slashed across the demon.

"Thunderbolt Cut!" Dragon Ranger Two ignited his blades with Kiryoku and slashed the weapons across the demon, taking the creature further aback.

Mammoth Ranger leapt from behind the two Red Rangers and armed his axe, the Mammoth Breaker. "Power Crusher!"

He chopped the axe against the demon with a massive burst of seismic power that shook the ground within the pit.

Tricera Ranger snuck behind the villain and plunged his Tricera Lance into the demon. "Power Torrent!"

The lance emitted a wave of power that surged within the villain's body, but he managed to sustain his demonic form.

Tricera Ranger used his lance to hold the demon in place while Kirin Ranger One and Kirin Ranger Two somersaulted to opposite sides of the demon and snapped their Kirin Blades towards the creature. Each blade connected to a nine-part staff as thin as a whip. The blades punctured through the demon and helped pin him in place.

The Yellow Tiger Ranger somersaulted through the air and hurled her daggers at the creature, and the daggers punctured through the demon's body.

From the opposite side, the Green Dragon Ranger, White Kiba Ranger One, and White Kiba Ranger Two somersaulted through the air.

"Dragon's Claw!" the Green Dragon Ranger swung his weapon and hurled a blade of jade-tinted energy at the demon.

"Sound Bite!" the White Rangers fired bursts of white sonic energy that surrounded the jade energy blade, and the blade slashed through the demon with a massive burst of power and energy.

Dormammu dropped to his knees and howled, his fires dimming.

The three Ranger teams pulled back and regrouped.

The 12 Power Rangers extended their hands upward, and streaks of cyan-tinted energy formed spheres of power between their palms. They lowered the spheres to their chests. "Bomber, set!"

"Kiryoku!" the two Red Dragon Rangers shouted.

"Bomber!" they all shouted together and hurled the spheres towards the demon.

The spheres combined into a single bolt of golden energy that sparkled and thrashed with power. The bolt punctured through the demon with a massive explosion, incinerating the creature to ash, and spreading across the entire area with a wave of fiery light.

When the light dimmed, only the six Power Rangers stood.

Tenma Ranger placed his hand on his helmet and shook his head. "OK…that was fun and all, but I'm pretty sure I'm about to puke in my helmet."

Dragon Ranger looked to Kirin Ranger. "What happened to everyone else?"

"As far as I can tell, the timeline's reset," Kirin Ranger said. "Dormammu never defeated us. The future we saw never existed."

Tenma Ranger shook his head. "So why do we still remember everything?"

"Best not to think about it too much," Kirin Ranger said.

"Rangers," Zordon's voice spoke through their communicators. "You have done well. The threat of Dormammu is gone forever."

"That's great," Tenma Ranger said sarcastically. "Are we taking bets as to what demon, warlord or cult we have to fight next?"

* * *

**PART TWO: THE CLUTCH OF THE HAND**

A young Chinese man ran for his life through the streets of Tokyo. He ducked into a dark alley, hoping to drop out of sight and blend in with the shadows.

His attackers dropped in front of him. They dressed in ninja uniforms, with black bodysuits and gray vests, matching their gray gloves and boots. Black masks with yellow eye pieces covered their faces.

They struck like lightning with drop kicks and twirling fist attacks. Their victim went flying off his feet and slamming against a concrete wall.

The masked figures surrounded their victim. He cowered backward in terror as he grasped the black amulet around his neck.

The villains slammed their fists through the man's body, splattering blood against the brick wall. They took the amulet for themselves and leapt towards the rooftops.

* * *

Tommy stood behind his sensei on the upper balcony of the Hayate Way, north of Angel Grove.

"You wanted to see me, sensei?" Tommy asked.

Sensei Mugensai nodded, grave concern etched across his face. He kept his gaze forward while speaking to his most prized pupil. "Do you trust me, Tommy?"

Tommy nodded. "Always…"

"There are forces in this world few people understand," Sensei Mugensai said. "Our enemies are starting to tap into these forces. Dark Arts. Black Magic that has not been practiced for hundreds of years."

"What happened?" Tommy asked.

"The Hayate Way in Japan has been destroyed. There are no survivors," Sensei said.

Tommy narrowed his eyes. "How?"

"The Ikkazuchi," Sensei said. "A group called The Hand is drawing recruits from the Ikkazuchi Way in Japan. Now it is only a matter of time before The Hand comes to our shores."

"The Hand?" Tommy asked.

Sensei Mugensai nodded and explained the Hand: An order of assassins. Ninja, involved in organized crime. They were originally a secret society of nationalist samurai, founded in 1588 in Japan. They were honorable, but frustrated with a corrupt government tainted by foreign influences. Their goal was to restore political power to the people. But the pursuit of their goal changed them. They themselves became corrupt. The Hand transformed from a group of freedom fighters into an organization of mercenaries for hire. However, the Hand were not content with simply providing their services to the highest bidders, as other factions of ninja, such as the Ikkazuchi. They worked as both assassins for others and sought power themselves. They crafted alliances of convenience while seeking to eliminate their enemies.

"What is this Hand planning?" Tommy asked.

"The revival of the Dark Shogun, a master of death who nearly overthrew the Tokugawa Government in ancient Japan," Sensei Mugensai explained. "They plan to have an army already in place when the revival happens. They've already dug his body from the grave."

Suddenly, Tommy and Sensei Mugensai dove aside as a volley of throwing stars cut across the balcony, splintering wood and ripping through rice-paper walls. Tommy rolled into a crouched position and unsheathed his blade.

Five dark figures smashed upward from beneath the balcony and leapt towards Tommy and his Sensei. Tommy pounced to attack. He cut downward through a ninja and spun while swinging his sword in a butterfly pattern, ripping through the flesh and bone of the next two assassins.

Tommy slammed the end of his saber against the last soldier's face.

Tommy lowered his sword. He looked to his side and noticed Sensei Mugensai on the floor with a throwing blade stuck in his chest.

"Sensei!" Tommy shouted as he moved to the man's side.

He was already dead.

Tommy rolled his hands into fists.

* * *

Adam Park sat on his bed to read. Adjusting back to a normal life was difficult for the teen. He preferred to lose himself in a book instead. He had even started writing.

He was barely through a paragraph when someone knocked on his bedroom door. The door creaked open, and Adam's younger brother Franklin peaked his head in. "Hey, Adam. Tommy's here."

"I'll be right there," Adam said as he closed his book. The last time Tommy had visited, it was to stop a demon named Dormammu from rising to power and taking over the world.

Adam walked to the door and met Tommy outside.

"We need to talk," Tommy said.

* * *

Tommy and Adam walked across a heavily-landscaped part of the city near Adam's subdivision. Tommy explained what little he knew about the Ikkazuchi situation. Adam had been a member of the Ikkazuchi Way in Angel Grove for a brief time when he was younger.

"I need you to come to Japan with me," Tommy finished explaining. "I have to get in with the Ikkazuchi Way, and I could use your experience with them."

"What exactly would we do?" Adam asked.

"I'm not sure," Tommy said. "I figure we enroll with the Ikkazuchi Way in Japan…and just kind of play it by ear from there."

"Just like old times," Adam said. He sighed. "When do we leave?"

* * *

A week passed.

Azumi sat in a high-rise office in downtown Shinjuku. He wore slim sunglasses and a dark suit. The Hand crime lord sat at the head of a polished black table in a dimly lit conference room. His men sat around the table with him.

Two guards stood behind Azumi. Each guard carried a slender katana.

Azumi leaned back in his chair, his hands folded in front of him. "We have a problem. One of you…has become lazy. The result: one of the Hayate Way's urchin from American soil is here. On our land."

The two guards moved away from their master and walked along the right side of the table. Azumi took silent pleasure in the looks of nervousness on his men's faces.

Like lightning, the two guards unsheathed their katana and severed the head of a man at the table. A few of the other businessmen could not help but gasp.

An evil grin spread across Azumi's face. "This is the price of laziness…"

The conference room doors opened slowly. A man dressed in a rusty-brown kimono walked inside. A black bandana covered his eyes. His name was Shishido. He was flanked by two soldiers, ninja, dressed in black body suits with gray vests, and yellow eye pieces on black masks.

"Shishido," Azumi said. "Find this infiltrator, kill him, and bring him here so he can be revived as a member of our ranks."

Shishido bowed slightly. "It will be done, my lord."

* * *

Tommy wore a black gi with gray trimming, while Adam wore a black gi with crimson trimming. They stood in the rural mountains of the Ikkazuchi Way along with dozens of other younger students. Most students, such as Adam, had been separated into two groups: the crimson-marked Shadow style and the navy-marked Lightning style.

Students not yet identified with a particular style were given gray like Tommy.

The students split into groups and started sparing, as they did every morning to start the day.

Tommy faced off with a young man dressed in a navy-trimmed gi. Chang was a third-year Chinese student with long hair and slim, chiseled features. They said nothing to each other before the sparring match began. According to Adam, speaking of any kind was not tolerated during training.

The match began. Chang snapped forward with a jump kick and spinning heel kick that Tommy dodged with ease. Chang spun back towards Tommy and swung his knee towards the ranger's head.

Tommy blocked the blow and slammed his elbow against Chang's chest while kicking the student's legs out from under him. Chang crashed against the ground.

The third-year student flipped back to his feet and pounced to attack.

Tommy decided to make his move and get noticed. He thrust his hand forward and fired an invisible Ki blast that slammed against Chang, snapping his body backward and knocking the wind out from him.

An instructor noticed the move and walked towards Tommy.

"Come," he said simply as he turned and started walking towards the main dojo. Tommy stayed silent as he followed.

* * *

Tommy followed the instructor into a small hut next to the dojo. He was taken aback as he stepped inside. He entered a massive, dimly lit room that was far too large to be contained in the simple hut he had entered.

Rows upon rows of dark-crimson clad ninja and black-covered soldiers lined the walls while standing on various balconies.

A small pale light shined down as if from nowhere and illuminated an old man sitting near the center of the room. The man wore a black kimono tinted with red. His name was Maku.

Tommy wasn't sure if it was a trap or an initiation, a way the Hand recruited members from the Ikkazuchi Way.

The man closed his eyes and extended his hand. Tommy felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The man opened his eyes and looked to the instructor. "Leave us…"

The instructor turned and left the hut.

"I am sure you have many questions," Maku said. "Few have been in my presence, and even fewer have lived long enough to hear me speak. You are about to be tested. Victory will mean great honor. Failure will mean death.

"First you must know this: we are the Hand of the Devil himself," Maku said. "We have thrived for centuries, amassing power, working from the shadows to wage a war older than time. A war against life.

"I sense dark power in you. I sense you know more of this struggle than most your age. This is why you are still standing before me, and have not been cut down by my loyal soldiers," Maku continued.

"Your test is simple. I will arrange for you to become Gouraija immediately," the man said. "During your first mission, you will kill your leader. He has grown too careless. But first…I desire a greater demonstration of your power."

Six of the crimson-clad ninja leapt to the ground. They were armed with swords and bo-staffs. A shirtless fighter stepped out from among the ranks of warriors. The fighter had tattoos of rhinoceros beetles running along his arms and chest. A large, single beetle was tattooed on his back.

The soldiers leapt forward to attack.

Tommy grabbed a soldier by the wrist and twisted while slamming a sidekick against the villain's chest. The grunt's sword dropped as his body crashed backward.

Two more of the soldiers attacked at once while swinging their staffs. Tommy used his forearm to parry their blows while moving between them. The ranger smashed a hook kick across a villain's head and turned to his right, snapping a sidekick that slammed against the other soldier's face.

Tommy lifted one of the villain's staffs and used his knee to snap the weapon in two. Tommy spun the staff's two pieces like twin swords while parrying a flurry of strikes from the remaining three crimson-clad warriors.

The ranger disarmed a soldier to his right and slammed his weapons upside the warrior's head. Spinning forward, Tommy used one of his sticks to block a soldier's sword and chopped his other stick down against the villain's neck.

The final crimson-clad grunt charged forward with his sword aimed at the ranger's head. Tommy used his left stick to slap the blade away while slamming the end of the right stick against the villain's gut. The soldier crashed against the ground.

With the grunts out of the way, the tattooed warrior moved in to attack the ranger.

Tommy bashed his sticks against the sides of the warrior's head and kicked the villain upside the chin. The warrior's body whipped backward and crashed against the ground.

"Excellent," the old man said. "Your first mission begins tonight."

* * *

Tommy leapt across the rooftops of Tokyo along with a Gouraija and three Hand ninja. The Gouraija wore the crimson-tinted uniform of the Shadow style, and the Hand ninja wore the black-and-gray clad uniforms of the standard grunts, called Genin. Tommy remained in his gray-trimmed Ikkazuchi uniform.

They crouched on a building ledge and looked down at their target, a young Chinese woman walking alone at night down a deserted street.

Tommy tried not to panic. He had not expected to encounter their target this soon.

"Who is she?" Tommy asked.

The Gouraija glared at Tommy. "Don't ask questions, foreign dog. She is not the target- the target is the pendant she wears around her neck."

"You needed four assassins with you to steal a girl's necklace?" Tommy asked, stalling for time. "Seriously?"

"The pendant's amulet has power. Power she may be able to harness," he said.

"Let me get the pendant, alone," Tommy said. "Let me prove myself."

"The next time you speak, I will stab your heart," the Gouraija said. He looked to the Hand ninja. "Kill her, and take her amulet."

The three Hand ninja leapt towards the girl, and Tommy leapt after them. But his target wasn't the girl. He slammed a flying sidekick against a Hand, knocking the ninja from the air. The ranger landed, unsheathed his sword, and turned just in time to block the blade of the second Hand ninja. He knocked the sword aside, kicked the ninja in the gut, and bashed his sword's pommel across the ninja's head.

The third Genin dashed at Tommy, but Tommy merely extended his hand and fired an invisible Kiryoku blast that knocked the Hand off his feet.

The Chinese girl turned and started to run.

"Wait!" Tommy called after her.

He started to run after the girl. But the Gouraija leapt ahead of him and landed in front of her path. She screamed and stumbled backward, falling onto the ground, as the ninja lifted his sword to strike her down.

Tommy pounced ahead and swung his blade just in time to block the villain's sword. He spun forward with a reverse sidekick that smashed against the villain's gut, knocking him several steps back. The ranger spun again with a hook kick that knocked the ninja unconscious. The villain dropped to the ground, his sword clanging against the street.

The girl said something in Chinese Tommy couldn't understand. He looked down at her and extended his hand. "I don't suppose you speak English?"

"You're American," she said as she took his hand and stood. "I couldn't tell until I saw you up close. Why…why did you save me? You're dressed as one of them."

"But I'm not one of them," Tommy said. "I joined their organization to find out how to stop their plans."

"Then you know about the Dark Shogun," she said.

Tommy nodded. "How do you?"

She touched the amulet she wore around her neck. "The Dark Shogun is why the Hand are after me," she explained. "This amulet is one of two eyes that belong on the Serpent Crown, an artifact of ancient power that the Hand plan to use to revive the Dark Shogun. They already have one of the amulets. Now they just need mine."

"How did you-"

"There's no time," the young woman said. "If you truly want to stop the revival of the Dark Shogun, you'll help me slip past the Hand and flee this country with the amulet."

Tommy shook his head. "I can't. My friend Adam is still back at the Ikkazuchi dojo."

She narrowed her eyes cautiously. "And why would he be there?"

"We came together, to find a way to stop the Hand," Tommy said. "We weren't sure what we were looking for, so he stayed behind while I went on patrol."

"Then your friend is already dead," the girl said.

"What?"

"The Hand are not stupid, _American_," she said. "By now, they'll know you betrayed them. So if you came to Japan with this…Adam person…they'll know he's a traitor too."

"Adam's a strong fighter," Tommy said. "We've been through hell together. Literally. He can handle the Hand. But that doesn't mean I'll leave him behind."

"Then you're a fool," the girl said. "I've wasted enough time prattling with you already. If you want to go back into the snake pit, then go, destroy yourself. When the Hand resurrect you as one of their puppets, I'll show you no mercy."

An unseen figure spoke from the shadows. "Miki…"

Tommy snapped into a defensive stance, but the Chinese girl, Miki, didn't seem concerned.

"You…" she said with disdain. "Why did you follow me?"

"To protect you," the man said as he stepped into sight. The stranger was an old, Chinese man with strong, chiseled features. He wore a black tai-chi uniform with white laces tied down the chest. "Although I now see that was unnecessary."

"It's your fault I'm here in the first place," Miki said. "You cursed my family with these amulets. You and your stupid Order."

"Miki, you know that's not true," the man said.

"Who are you?" Tommy asked.

"A friend, if you mean to stop the Hand," the man said. "Did I hear you say you came to Japan with another, named Adam?"

Tommy hesitated. "Possibly. Now who are you?"

"Adam Park?"

Tommy knitted his brow. "Possibly...who are you?

"I instructed your friend when he was younger," the man said. "I am called Master Mao."

* * *

Adam snuck through the corridors of the Ikkazuchi dojo. He found the fortress familiar, as it varied little from the Ikkazuchi Way outside of Angel Grove. Dim light cast through the shadowed hallways, and Adam sensed a dark presence ebb from the floor and walls around him. The Ikkazuchi Way seemed alive, yet still, like a slumbering creature of evil.

The teen stepped onto a balcony that wrapped around a pit in the center of the dojo. Below, a serpent-like crown sat on a casket.

Maku walked towards the crown with two members of the Hand. They each wore dark, hooded robes.

"It's too soon," said one of the robed figures, a woman named Rageku.

Another robed figured, Kata, nodded in agreement. "We need the other amulet."

Maku growled with annoyance. "It will be here…very shortly."

"How can you be so certain?" Kata asked.

"The demons whisper in my ears," Maku said as he pulled up his sleeve, revealing a silver bracelet etched with demonic runes. "And they grow restless…"

Rageku lowered her head and pulled up her sleeve, revealing a similar bracelet. "Very well…"

Kata did the same. "Let it be done…"

The three villains started whispering an incantation. Their words echoed through the chamber and made the walls and floor throb with power. Heat sizzled from their bracelets, which glowed with silver light.

The light intensified with a burst of power that shrieked through the air. The walls absorbed the light and darkened, and then pulsed with shadowy power.

Three columns of smoke bled from the walls and snaked through the air towards the Hand. Maku, Kata, and Rageku pulled down their hoods and lifted their heads, and the smoke poured through their mouths as their bodies convulsed.

The smoke entered them completely, and they snapped open their eyes, now colored solid black.

Maku snarled and rolled his hands into fists. "Such power in this one…"

He bashed his fist against Kata, and the impact hurled him against the side of the wall. Kata cursed with annoyance and climbed to his feet. "Was that really necessary?"

"We're in the mortal world for the first time," Maku said. "Of course it was necessary."

Rageku laughed as she looked at her hands and arms. "Such frail creatures, these humans…"

"And stupid," Maku said as he looked to the crown. "We'll bring back this Dark Shogun of the Hand. But he will be _our_ pupil. The Hand be damned."

Adam knitted his brow with concern. He never felt such terror, not even when facing Zedd. He realized the three Hand members were no longer themselves. They were possessed by demons.

Maku glanced towards the balcony. "We have a visitor."

The demon thrust his hand and hurled a bolt of purple fire. Adam jumped just as the blast exploded beneath his feet. He somersaulted through the air and landed on the floor.

"Hand of Fate!" Adam shouted as he thrust his fist and fired a beam of pale-green light.

The blast exploded against Maku and hurled him off his feet. The demon smashed against the wall and crashed against the ground.

Kata took a step back with fear. "That power…an Angel of Light."

"An angel?" Rageku took a step back.

Maku spat and pushed himself to his feet. "Fuck him. Fuck him!"

The demon smashed his fist against the ground, creating a shockwave that barreled towards Adam. Adam leapt over the shockwave and flipped back to the balcony.

The ranger started to arm his Aura Bracers.

But Kata swung his hand and fired a blade of wind that tore the balcony from beneath the ranger. Adam fell and flipped to land on his feet.

Maku pounced with amazing speed and grabbed Adam in a chokehold. The demon lifted the teen from the ground.

"What are you…" Maku grumbled.

Adam kicked Maku upside the head while flipping backward, out of the villain's grasp. The teen landed, lunged, and punched the demon in the gut. The blow knocked the demon off his feet.

Maku growled with annoyance and stood. Purple flames erupted from his body with a shockwave that knocked Adam from his feet.

The teen immediately recognized the power signature. These demons harnessed Rinki, a dark form of Kiryoku used by the Gorma.

Maku leaned forward and charged at Adam while howling with rage.

"Ki!" a voice shouted from nearby. An invisible energy blast knocked Maku aside, and he crashed against a wall.

Adam looked up to see Tommy leap into the room, followed by Master Mao and Miki.

Adam opened his eyes wide with shock at the sight of his former mentor. "Master Mao…"

"Adam," Mao said. "It is good to see you. But our reintroduction will have to wait."

Mako howled and stood. He formed a sphere of black, purple-tinted energy between his palms, and he hurled the bolt at the rangers.

Tommy and Adam placed their right fists against their left palms and leaned forward, erecting a Ki barrier that slammed against the energy bolt with a massive bursts of purple fire.

Tommy tossed the energy field aside, pounced, and charged his fist with fiery energy. "Burn knuckle!"

His fist smashed against Maku and hurled him backward.

Nearby, Rageku waved her hands and summoned darts of water that shot towards the rangers. They dove aside, and the water darts whizzed past them.

Suddenly from above, a wall exploded near the balcony, and the blindfolded ninja Shishido stepped through the opening, followed by a group of Genin.

Tommy cursed beneath his breath. "It's getting a little crowded in here."

Shishido unsheathed his sword. "You foreign dogs…what have you done?"

Tommy looked to the ninja. "I'll take this guy," he said to Adam. "You take those robed freaks."

"Sure," Adam said. "Pick the one with the blindfold."

Tommy smirked. "Remember when you used to be quieter?"

They split up and attacked.

A wave of Genin leapt at Tommy. The ranger shot towards them and surrounded his body with Kiryoku. He let the energy explode, hurling the ninja through the air.

Tommy landed in front of Shishido and pounced. The villain chopped his sword. But Tommy dodged and smashed a sidekick against the ninja's gut, knocking him back a step.

Below, Rageku wove tendrils of water that lifted Miki from her feet. She screamed, and Rageku used her water tendrils to rip the amulet from her neck.

The villain tossed the girl aside and grabbed the amulet.

Master Mao narrowed his eyes. "The crown…"

The man charged towards the demon. But Rageku snapped a water whipped that knocked Master Mao aside.

Kata lifted the crown and slid open the casket. Within lay the mummified body of the Dark Shogun. The demon knitted his brow with disappointment.

"What is this…?" Kata said. "He was supposed to be a powerful force of death. But his corpse reeks of powerless mortality."

Master Mao climbed to his feet. "He was just a man…but a madman. And strong…"

Kata squeezed his hand and shattered the crown. "We have no need for such a puppet."

"No!" Shishido shouted. "The Dark Shogun!"

Tommy took advantage of the distraction to elbow the villain across the head, knocking him unconscious. The teen leapt to the ground to face off with the three demons.

Maku snarled at Tommy. "Do you have any idea who we are, Dragon Ranger? We are the Three Kenma!"

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Tommy asked.

"It means we were given power by the Mogralord himself!" Maku shouted. "It means we are death!"

Maku charged and tackled Tommy, smashing him against a wall.

Adam started to rush to his friend's side, but Mao placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Adam…you can remove the demons from their hosts."

"I can what?" Adam asked.

"Your power of light…it's a special gift, a gift that comes from the angels."

"You're not making any sense," Adam said.

"Legends say angels used to walk amongst us, and you are the descendants of one of these angels, an Angel of Light," Mao said. "A part of that power is inside of you. Use it to exorcise these demons."

"How?" Adam asked.

"Focus your Ki," Mao said.

Nearby, Tommy bashed his knee against Maku and chopped a knife-hand strike against the back and the villain's neck. Maku howled with rage and bashed the back of his fist across Tommy's head, hurling him through the room.

Maku pounced at Tommy. But Adam lunged and grabbed the demon by the back of the head. The teen reached for his power and ignited his Ki of Light, which glowed with pale-green power that seeped into Maku. The villain's eyes opened wide as he howled, and pale-green light sizzled from his eyes and mouth before he collapsed to the ground.

Tommy climbed to his feet. "What was that?"

"Not entirely sure…" Adam said as he looked to Kata and Rageku.

Kata hurled a blade of wind energy, and Rageku hurled a blade of water. The two rangers leapt over the attacks and leapt towards the demons.

Tommy smashed a flying sidekick against Kata, knocking him backward.

Adam landed and smashed his palm against Rageku's chest. His hand ignited with pale-green light that burnt the demon from the woman. She collapsed to the ground as smoke sizzled from her mouth and eyes.

Kata lunged at Tommy. But the ranger hook kicked the demon across the head. Adam dashed to Kata, grabbed him by the head, and ignited his pale-green light. The light burnt the demon from the man. Adam released his grasp, and the man collapsed to the ground.

Tommy stayed in a fighting stance, expecting trouble. But no other enemies came. "…is that it?"

"Yes…" Master Mao said. "We have won."

"So what exactly happened?" Tommy asked.

"More importantly…" Adam said. "Who are you…who are you really."

"I am part of an ancient order. The Order of the Pai Zhua. Your Sensei Kaku joined us for a time. We tasked ourselves with protecting the world from artifacts of mystic power. Like the Serpent Crown, forged by demon worshipers centuries ago in ancient China. Today…only few of us remain," Mao explained.

"Okay…" Tommy said. "So who were those Kenma?"

"I am uncertain…" Master Mao said. "But I believe they had little interest in the crown. They only sought to use the Hand as a means of coming to the mortal world, through possession."

"And now they've been…I can't believe I'm saying this…exorcised?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, by Adam's power," Mao said. "But instead of returning to Hell, their spirits have fused with those bracelets, the tools the Hand used to summon them here."

"We should destroy them," Miki said. "Now."

"They cannot be destroyed," Mao said. "But I will take them somewhere safe. And…I will dispose of the bodies."

"Why'd you never tell me any of this?" Adam asked.

"I didn't want to interfere with your destiny," Master Mao said. "I wanted only to help shape it."

"This order of yours…you said Sensei Kaku joined you for a time. Are you all like him?" Tommy asked.

"Centuries old?" Master Mao asked. He shook his head. "No. We have no special power, although some of us have heightened Ki."

Miki sighed impatiently. "Is this really the time? We're still standing in the middle of an enemy stronghold."

"We will go. Come, Rangers…" Mao said.

* * *

Tommy and Adam returned to the United States, leaving Master Mao behind in Japan to hide the three Kenma Bracelets and dispose of the bodies that served as demon hosts.

Tommy sat on the steps of the Hayate Way after returning home. He learned Sensei Mugensai actually left him the school in his will.

The teen couldn't run the school, not yet at least. But he would someday, and the dojo's instructors would take care of things in the meantime.

Tommy sighed and looked up towards the sky. _Sensei Mugensai…Sensei Kaku…when the time comes, I won't let you down. _

**END**

**Ultimate Power Rangers continues in Year Four: Zeo**


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